Number Three
by b0x0rzkirb0
Summary: AU. What if the Devil Bats HAD accepted Marco's deal to switch numbers? Would we see a vastly different Kanto Tournament? Rated T for Hiruma's potty-mouth.
1. Chapter 1: The Switch

Disclaimer: Eyeshield 21 is not mine. None of the characters that appear here are my original creation, they are Inagaki and Murata's.

Number Three

Chapter One: The Switch

"Uh…is your name…Sena? How about we switch numbers?"

The Deimon Devil Bats had taken their first step into football glory by narrowly defeating the Bando Spiders, led jointly by Hayato Akaba and the talented (yet somewhat ridiculous) Kotaro Sasaki. The air in the room where the Kanto Championship Lottery was taking place was far more intense than in any room the Devil Bats had wandered into. Each athlete present was a champion, a warrior who had taken part in the conquering of their region. One particular warrior had approached Sena with a rather clandestine offer…

"They still haven't checked them. No one would ever know, I'd say." The boy had a rather shady air about him (despite his wonderful suit, thought Sena) that seemed to complement what he was doing in the first place.

"Hah?! Haah?! HAAH?!" As if on cue, the Hah Brothers, as they were affectionally called, signaled their surprised in their own unique way.

"_What are those three even trying to communicate? Regardless, I'll definitely pull this deal off…"_ thought the suit-clad young man.

"What do you think you're doing, fucking eyelashes?" came the equally friendly response of the demonic quarterback, Hiruma Yoichi.

"Hey, take it easy. I know you've got a score to settle with Seibu, so I thought you might wanna play them as soon as possible, I'd say." responded the young deal-striker.

"Wait…wait a second, Hiruma-san. I think we should accept this offer…maybe." interjected Sena. It was as the shady boy said – they did indeed have a score to settle with Seibu, as they were the reason the Devil Bats even had to struggle against the Bando Spiders in the first place.

"Well damn, fucking shrimp. What's gotten into you? I've never known YOU to be one to…bend the rules." said Hiruma with an amused, sharp-toothed grin.

"I know Riku-kun told me to draw a slot for Block B, but I would rather play him as soon as possible…just in case they lose, or something."

"Heh heh heh! Do what you want, fucking shrimp. We're going to destroy the entire tournament anyway, so who cares what order it's in?!"

With that debate settled, Sena turned to face the boy in the suit. "Uh…yeah. Why don't we trade?"

"Ah, wonderful. That's a good boy…I'd say." Sena glanced nervously on all directions, as if he was handing money to a drug dealer. The boys then hastily exchanged their little plastic footballs, and Sena hurriedly walked to the podium to submit his new number.

"Representing Tokyo…The Deimon Devil Bats will play in Block A, number 3." announced the commentator. After that declaration, Sena scurried back to his teammates, not liking the feeling of standing in front of that room of superstars.

"Now that that's over with…sorry for not introducing myself. I'm the Quarterback for the Hakushu Dinosaurs…Maruko. Sounds like a girl's name, I'd say. So just call me Marco, because it sounds cooler and Italian." said the young man in the suit, now acting more friendly and laid-back. He pulled out of seemingly nowhere some bottles of cola, which he offered to Sena and his friend, the ace receiver Monta.

"I guess we're both first timers," said Marco. "Let's pray we both don't play a good team right away."

"NO WAY! We're going to play them all eventually, so bring it on! Right Sena?" came the loud and eager reply of Monta.

"Representing Tokyo…the Ojo White Knights will play in Block B, number 7!" the announcer then said.

"_What the hell?! I go to all that trouble trying to avoid tough teams, and then the White Knights just come strolling in and invade my territory, I'd say. Well, at least they're not in the same round as us."_ mused Marco.

"Representing Kanagawa…the Taiyo Sphinx will play in Block A, number 4!"

At these words, Kurita, the lovable (and fat) center, could've floated through the sky with pure joy. He had been looking forward to facing Banba again on the field since that game to determine who would play the Americans ages ago, and now he'd get to do it in the first round of the Kanto tournament!

"_They're tough ones, those Sphinx. My deal may not have been in vain after all, I'd say. Hopefully we get matched up with that loud-mouthed boy with the facial scar's team, or perhaps the team of that strange large boy who keeps conspicuously staring at the commentator's chest," _ thought Marco after the announcement. He was getting increasingly nervous, but still had hope.

Just then, the ambient chatter of all the athletes in the room died to a halt. The gods of Kanto had arrived. One of these gods, a large lineman named Gondayu Yamabushi, walked proudly to the podium to draw his slot. He did so…

"Representing Kanagawa…the Shinryuji Nagas will play in Block B….number 6!"

"…SHIT!" came a sudden burst of exasperation. Every person in the room turned to face the source of the sound.

"…I'd say."


	2. Chapter 2: Game Day

Number Three

Chapter Two: Game Day

Kurita was practically bouncing in anticipation as the Devil Bats approached the stadium in which their fate would be decided. "Can you believe it?! We're really about to play in the Kanto tournament! Our dreams are actually becoming a reality! I even get to face Banba-san again today!"

"Well, what did you expect, fucking fatty?! Let's hope you're not going to settle for another tie this time." Hiruma (machine gun slung over his shoulder) kept his usual confident demeanor, but each of the Devil Bats knew that he was just as pumped as Kurita.

"I'm pretty fired up, myself," chimed in lineman Jumonji. "In our last game against those meatheads, we were almost completely green. We beat the Spider Poison, so we're definitely ready to kick their asses."

The order in which the matches would be played was also decided by lottery. The first match was Deimon vs. Taiyo, followed by Seibu vs. Misaki, then Ojo vs. Sado, and finally Hakushu vs. Shinryuji.

"_Marco-kun's deal kind of blew up in his face. I kind of feel sorry for him…but then again, now we don't have to face any of those monsters…yet, at least."_ Sena mused to himself.

"Ah ha ha! Not to worry, my fine friends! Our winning chance against Taiyo is 100%"! said flamboyant tight-end Taki, leg raised triumphantly in the air.

"_I hope Marco-kun isn't too scared of Agon-san…I know I would be…wait, no one here is worried…why did Taki say that? Wait, what was I thinking about? Nevermind. I hope I don't get destroyed by Banba-san today. He looks even scarier than before, which I didn't even think possible._"

"Why so quiet, fucking shrimp? Getting cold feet, now?"

"What? N-no, that's not it! I'm just thinking about how the re-match against Taiyo is gonna turn out."

"V-victory!" answered strong-but-stout Komusubi.

"Komusubi's right, Sena. There's no need to wonder about the outcome because there's only one possibility – us winning!" piped in Kurita.

Deimon's kicker, Musashi, allowed a small grin to appear upon his stoic face. "Huh. Kurita's really fired up, isn't he, Hiruma."

"Heh heh heh. It'll come in damn handy against those hulking idiots."

The stadium was completely packed with spectators eager to see some action. It was another Roman Coliseum, a celebrated spectacle for those who yearned to see battle. Lost balloons of small children dotted the blue sky every now and again. The Devil Bats, in full gear, viewed the crowd not with trepidation, but with pride. They had come to see THEM play. And they would get the show they wanted.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Kanto Tournament! The arena of gods!" the hyperactive voice of announcer Sanada boomed out over the stadium. "Our first clash is between tournament veterans, the Taiyo Sphinx, and the up-and-coming Deimon Devil Bats!" The crowd roared, making their anticipation obvious. "On this day, in this very stadium, the masses will rebel against the Egyptian nobility! The demons will attempt to dethrone the incarnation of Horus! THIS…is true American football!"

"This isn't the first time these teams have played each other," rang out the more collected voice of Kumakuburo Riko. "They originally battled it out, but it ended up a draw. Deimon has become a whole new team since then. Can Taiyo handle it?"

Each of the Deimon linemen felt pangs of nostalgia. "Looks like we'll be defeating the Pyramid Line yet again, fatty," said Jumonji. "Better not choke on us, now."

Just then, a shadow fell over the linemen as the towering, newly scarred figure of Mamoru Banba appeared. "B-Banba-san!" squeaked Kurita.

"Kurita. Last time it was a tie. That won't be the case this time. We're going all out from the get-go. You will see that the Taiyo Sphinx are a whole new team." declared Banba.

"Y-yes, we've been training hard as w-" "Heh heh heh! You're right that it won't be a tie this time, fucking complete baldy. It's our victory today."

"Mm. We shall see."

"Ah…ha ha…they're massive!" quaked Taki upon actually starting to pay attention to his surroundings instead of trying to get on TV.

"Oh, that's right, Taki-kun wasn't with us when we played the Sphinx. Remember that, Monta?" said Sena. "Oooh man, I've been looking forward to this. Kamaguruma's bump doesn't stand a chance against the NEW me," replied Monta.

"Just what are you saying, Monsieur Monta? You're just the same as you've always been!" yelled a spinning figure that was clearly not in the conversation.

"I…I…you…nevermind."

"Alright, fucking team. We've destroyed their line before, and we can do it again. In fact, we're going to do more than just destroy them…we're going…TO…"

"**KILL THEM!**" roared the Devil Bats in unison.

The elegant Taiyo quarterback, Kiminari Harao, similarly addressed his team, "When last we played the Devil Bats, we foolishly let down our guards and allowed them to pierce our line. However, we all know that they won't be so lucky this time. We have all improved manifold. I ask you…what has 22 legs in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night? And its 11 warriors have never been beaten?...What is the name of that team?"

"**TAIYO SPHINX!**" boomed the unanimous reply of the Kanagawa runner-ups.

"It has been determined that Deimon will kick, and Taiyo will receive!"

"Heh heh heh! I don't think you've met our very own 60-yard magnum, fucking pharaoh. You're in for a surprise."

"Hiruma…your bluffing is useless. I'm a new quarterback, different from the complacent king that dropped the ball upon being sacked. I think YOU are the one that needs to keep his eyes open."

"Oh, I will…"

The crowd roared as the Kanto tournament opened with the cannon-like blast of Musashi's kick. Luckily, Kuroki was able to stop Taiyo's receiver at the 25-yard line. It was time for the Taiyo Sphinx to begin the first down of the tournament.

Upon seeing their offensive formation, the Devil Bats were aghast. "What…the hell…what is this?" inquired, rather intelligently, Togano.

Harao flashed a confident grin. "Behold, Deimon, Taiyo's invincible formation…Tutankhamun's Mask!"


	3. Chapter 3: Tutankhamun's Mask

Number Three

Chapter Three: Tutankhamun's Mask

Mamori, though she hid it with her "intense manager face" as she liked to call it, was always worried sick about the team on game day. She worried especially over the first years, and extra-especially about Eyeshie…Sena. She was only starting to get over the shock of his true identity.

She looked upon the starting formations and remembered the previous Deimon vs. Taiyo game. Come to think of it, she remembered how Hiruma had told her that Sena was on the tower taking film…God, she felt stupid. But she also was a bit relieved, knowing her Sena-protection mode would go into hyperdrive if she knew that he was going up against the towering Pyramid Line, led by Banba.

A small smile crept onto her lips as she reminded herself that she no longer needed to worry about Sena. He had become an amazing running back in his own right, and no longer needed her protection.

Well, she didn't NEED to worry about him, but she sure as hell did anyway. The rambunctious little cheerleader captain, Suzuna, not far from her had not a hint of worry on her face, only excitement.

"GO, DEVIL BATS! Break down the line and sack Ozzy every play!" she yelled.

"Ozzy? Suzuna-chan, your nicknames get more and more…creative all the time," said Mamori, always one to put a positive spin on her remarks.

"You know, Ozzy! Like Ozymandias! The pharaoh!"

"Hmm…that isn't bad, actually. Look, Suzuna-chan, the play's about to start. I'm a bit worried about Taki-kun…he hasn't faced this massive line before."

"He'll be fine! In fact, if he screws up, he'll face more hell from me than those lunks on the other team!"

Even Hiruma was a bit intimidated by the new Taiyo formation. "_Tch…those fucking hulks are all jam-packed together… like hell the fucking shrimp can squeeze through there…"_

"They narrowed the gap to a hair's width, so the line can't be penetrated! Only guys that big could do it!" rang out the excited voice of Riko. "The Taiyo Sphinx are playing to their strengths! A solid wall of linemen gives their pharaoh complete protection!"

"Alright, you fucking linemen! Be prepared to rip King Tut a new one! If you don't bring down this heavyweight line, there's no way we can do this!" yelled Hiruma.

"Set!" yelled Harao, calm as ever. "**HUT!**" The crowd roared as the first offensive down of the Kanto tournament began.

The ground seemed to shake as Deimon's defensive line clashed explosively against the reborn Pyramid Line.

"Dammit…can't…budge…these clowns!" yelled Kuroki.

"Tutankhamun's Mask puts me behind an invincible golden shield," remarked Harao. "Thus, I have a world of time to find a receiver."

"HEY! HEY HEY HEY HARAO-SAN! OVER HERE!" exclaimed the rowdy Kamaguruma.

"_Wait a sec…why is Kamaguruma-kun playing offense?!…Nevermind that, I gotta get on him!_" mused Monta. He had already defeated the flat-topped cornerback before, and he was prepared to do so again.

"_He's quite stupid…but now a worthy receiver in his own right."_ thought Harao as he (regally) threw his pass.

"Well, hello again, Monta-kun!…Hopefully you'll be able to withstand my…BUMP-CATCH!"

"Bump-whuGAHHHHH", yelled Monta as a cannon hit him in the chest. Kamaguruma used the force of his own bump to push off Monta, leap into the air, and deftly receive the pass.

"Taiyo Sphinx…first down!"

"Dammit, fucking monkey, what gives?! You've already beaten that idiot!"

"I'm not used to facing a bump when on defense…from a guy who I thought was just a cornerback, too…urgh. How did that guy even incorporate bumping into his catching? And his height, too…damn."

"It's not like you to bitch, fucking monkey. Seeing as how you keep saying you're number one, I think it's time for you to prove that in this match."

"…Right! No one can beat my catch-MAX!"

The teams once again assumed positions around the line of scrimmage. "Set…HUT!"

Harao once again calmly assessed his situation. He noticed a receiver near some flamboyant Deimon fool he didn't recognize. His mistake, was however, judging that fool by his behavior. He threw the pass…

"Ah ha ha! You underestimate me, Monsieur Pharaoh! " yelled Taki as he used his height and flexibility to deflect the pass.

"Taiyo…incomplete pass!" yelled the ref.

"That's a bad habit of ours. Half of their team, to be frank, are morons, which makes it rather easy to underestimate them. However, their ability is apparent," said Banba rather matter of factly. "All we have to do is keep up the protection, despite the vast improvement of their line. Kamaguruma will keep Raimon in check, so let's use him for now to gain yardage."

"Noted." came Harao's reply.

Hiruma was also beginning to strategize. "Well, one thing's for damn certain. That fucking pharaoh hasn't changed a bit, despite his tough talk. He's growing lazy behind that line of his…listen up, fucking team! Go straight for intercepting Harao's passes! The fucking idiot's deflection was decent, but we need more than that! Even when you're on defense, be on offense! And dammit, monkey, you better find a way around that bump-catch!

"Set…HUT!" Harao placed his faith in Banba's words and threw a quick spiral to Kamaguruma.

"Let's try that again, Kamaguruma-kun! No one can defeat my catch-MAARGHHH!"

"Taiyo Sphinx…first down!"

"Dammit…dammit! I can't seem to beat him!"

"Heh heh heh…not to worry, fucking monkey. Your screw-ups have been the perfect set-up for what I've got in mind. They're beginning to place to much faith in that fucking flat-top, so here's what we'll do…"

"Set…HUT!" Harao lazily threw another pass to Kamaguruma, but instantly noticed that something was amiss…

"Hee hee hee! No one can beat MY ca-wait, why are YOU here?!" yelled Kamaguruma. Sena had taken Monta's place in marking Kamaguruma, and was barreling toward him with his trademark speed.

"No matter…my bump doesn't falter against ANY kind of speed…so take TH-huh?" Kamaguruma was dumbfounded as his hands pushed out against empty air. Sena had put on the brakes at the last second, putting Kamaguruma terribly off-balance. Sena, with all his might, jumped up and deflected the pass meant for a much larger player. "MONTA! GET IT!"

"Nice deflection-MAXXX!" yelled the receiver as he dove to catch the clumsily deflected ball. Just barely, the ball rolled into his hands.

"Deimon Devil Bats…interception!" announced the referee. Deimon's crowd roared in approval.

"Heh heh heh…nice going, fucking shrimps."

"Tch…I got too complacent." said Harao. Banba allowed a small (very small) grin to ease its way onto his scarred features. Harao was finally beginning to admit his own mistakes, rather than just blame his team.

Both teams lined up at around the 50-yard line.

"Deimon Devil Bats…first down!"

Hiruma flashed his devilish grin as he yelled two of his favorite words. "Set…HUT!"


	4. Chapter 4: Tomb Robbers

Chapter Four

Tomb Robbers

"An interception after the first few downs!" yelled Machine Gun Sanada. "How characteristic of those who call themselves demons! Even when their job is to defend, they think only of ripping apart the enemy!"

"The Devil Bats are known for their explosive offense," stated Riko, far more calmly then her co-worker. "Their defense leaves a bit to be desired, as Eyeshield and Ishimaru are the only players that surpass the 5 second wall in the 40-yard dash, and their strongest member is too slow to stop runners. However, their aggressive nature tends to overcome this handicap, and as a result their tendencies to intercept passes and turn enemy offensive plays on their heads are unparalleled."

Near the commentator's box, the Ojo White Knights watched the unfolding battle. Many of them were too eager for their own game against the Sado Strong Golems to pay too much attention, but their coach and a certain stoic linebacker didn't fall prey to the same childish habit.

"Shin…" said Coach Shogun. "What are your thoughts on the outcome of this game?"

Shin tilted his head toward his coach slightly, while not taking his eyes off the field. "Taiyo's line is even more impressive than in the fall. However, from what I can see, they've seemed to focus too much on their new formation, and not enough on the backfield," he said. "Ken Kamaguruma playing both offense and defense presents interesting possibilities, but judging from these first few plays, I see no significant improvement other than that. They don't seem to have any runners that even come close to stopping Eyeshield 21, and if Kiminari Harao is as delicate as he used to be, then Tutankhamun's Mask absolutely can't shatter, for the good of their team. They rely too much on their line, still. Deimon will win this game."

_Damn_, thought Sakuraba, paying particular attention to Kamaguruma and Monta. _Leave it to Shin to produce outrageously accurate analyses._

"SET!...**HUT!**"

Kurita instinctively snapped the ball to his best friend upon hearing those words, and rushed forward towards his respected rival to carve a path for Sena's run. His thoughts, contrary to the intensity of the moment, were only of joy that he got to face his respected friend once more on the line of scrimmage. "_I've been waiting for this moment…ever since that game in the fall!"_

With that sentiment, one of the manliest line battles in the history of the Kanto tournament was underway. Scarred muscle collided with fat-muscle, each wanting to take the other down for the good of their team. Neither goal could be accomplished, however, as the two couldn't make the other budge.

"Deimon…no gain!"

Meanwhile, Seibu High School's very own gunslinger, the Kid, found himself already fascinated by Deimon's aggression.

"Trying to break Taiyo's line on his very first play…" he commented. "How…like Hiruma."

"DAMN, fucking fatty! You've already beaten fucking complete baldy! What's the deal?!"

"Banba's gotten even stronger! He's really gotten even better! I'm so excited…our showdown is finally happening!"

"Aw SHIT. Well, get a room with him AFTER you knock him down! We've gotta destroy the indestructible if we hope to get to the Christimas Bowl!"

"Deimon…second down!"

"Set…**HUT**!"

"Four yard gain!

"**HUT**!"

"Three yard gain!"

"What the f…okay. How about we hit our old friends with a trick they surely haven't forgotten…HEY! FUCKING SHRIMP!"

"Y…yes?"

"Remember the last game we played against these meatheads?..."

---

Rarely did Banba get this excited about American Football. After all, it's not often he faces a lineman stronger than him, forcing him to use every technique at his disposal to scrape away a win. The fact that he was about to put an end to the fourth down of what was said to be one of the strongest offenses in Kanto made him swell with pride. It was then that he knew that putting his linemen through hell in training for Tutankhamun's Mask was worth it.

"Prepare yourselves!" he boomed. "Don't let Deimon grab these last three yards! Stop their run even if it kills you!"

"**HUT**!"

Banba rushed forward to collide with his rival. It was then that he noticed Eyeshield 21 leave the ground. His mind flashed back to the final two-point conversion of their last clash.

"LOOK ALIVE! HE'S FLYING!"

Banba raised his mighty arm with the intention of bashing Sena (who was totally terrified of the very prospect) to the ground. A surge of mostly confusion and some fear lurched through him when he noticed that Sena wasn't carrying the ball.

When Banba saw Hiruma dropping back, ball in hand, he connected the dots.

"KAMAGURUMA! IT'S FOR RAIMON!"

"R…really? Oh damn! I let him get ahead of me!"

Kamaguruma tried as hard as he could to get within reach of Monta to deliver a back-shattering bump, but he had grown complacent in his defense, thinking that Hiruma would just keep on going for runs. As a result, Monta was sprinting just out of the reach of the Chariot Bump.

"NICE PASS-MAXXXX!" yelled the ape-like receiver. He caught the perfectly thrown pass, and sprinted as far as he could before he was brought down by a Taiyo safety.

"_Maybe I should try to like, cut instead of running straight at their safeties. Oh well, I just made a catch-MAX. I'm satisfied."_

"A thirty-five yard gain! Deimon…first down!" Cheers erupted from Deimon's side of the stadium, thrilled that they had such a bold quarterback.

"They took such a risk…when their first down was just within reach," said Banba, aghast.

"…"

"…Damn."


End file.
